Thursday, June 05, 2008

My kid the carnivore

Kids have a tough job. There is so much information for them to process, so many mysteries to unravel (or let remain mysteries) and all the while trying to communicate their thoughts and feelings to others in a manner that grooves with societal expectations. And sometimes it's good to use your parents as a sounding board before you go sharing all your reflections with the rest of the world.

Me to Sofia, as I put her down for her nap, trying to explain why she cannot hit her brother after an earlier altercation: It's ok to feel angry and frustrated sometimes. Everyone gets mad and sometimes we want to just hit, but we can't. It's not ok to hurt other people and it doesn't help anything. You didn't really hurt him this time, but you could have.

Sofia: Well, it's not the worst thing I could have done.

Me: No, it's not the worst thing you could have done, but it's still not alright.

Sofia: Like, I could have bit him really hard and taken a big bite out of him. That would have been bad.

Me: Yes, that would have been very bad. I'm glad you didn't do that.

Sofia: Yeah, because I don't think I could have even bit through him. It would have been too tough to eat it.

Me: Right. Skin is very tough.

Sofia: And then I would have to eat his blood and I don't think I would like to eat his blood. She pauses for a moment and scrunches up her face. Is blood red?

Me, trying to back out of the bedroom: Uh, yes, blood is red.

Sofia, making an disgusted face: I would be like, "Blech, Bleaaahhh!!! Urugh!" She makes a spitting sound.

Me: Right. That would be really gross. Don't ever try to eat another person.

8 Comments:

That's a riot--in a weird, demented sort of way...lol. Totally funny! I loved your chapter for Chapterbytes BTW...I guess I'm going to have watch one of those cooking shows to get into this "foodie" thing.

Christy- You know, if you'd heard her with her little-girl voice, it sounded like the sweetest, most natural thing in the world for her to say. It's a lot creepier in print, though! The chapter was fun to write...I can't wait to see what happens next!

I know what you mean--my kids have come up with some pretty strange sounding things, but they say it in that sweet little voice and it's just so matter-of-fact. I love that though...you never know what you're gonna get.

Well, at least she's thinking through some consequences...She seems to have talked herself out of biting, but not necessarily a repeat on the the hitting. Perhaps it would be more effective to try the old "golden rule" adage...Have you asked how she would like to be dealt with if someone gets mad at her?

Hon- you will get a lot more sleep in general if you stay overnight at the office. But you won't get to watch BG with me!

Christy- Yeah, I just wonder how long my kids can pull it off...I can imagine them being 15 and still using the same sweet voice to try and get their way...

Abue- oh, we have had every talk known to man. She knows "do unto others" better than anyone, and she loves it when I read parables from the bible that deal with that theme. She's just having difficulty "walking the walk"...she'll get there eventually...